Canon
The term Canon is generally used to refer to content, material, or information which is generally agreed to be authoritative and accurate. In fiction, Canon is often used to refer to the stories and elements of fictional worlds viewed as 'official' or 'approved.' In other words, Canon is the recognized, accepted and binding stories, backstory, plots, and elements that are seen as being 'accurate' or 'real' in the context of the fictional setting. Canon is most often seen as that content or information which is by and large seen as factual, established and set. It is also thus the content and information upon which all future development must hinge and respect. This is in contrast to less authoritative or unsubstantiated content, which is often referred to as apocryphal. Apocryphal content may be content unverified or substantiated within actual, canonical stories, or may be content not officially 'approved' by those who oversee the setting or world. In different fictional settings material which is canon often varies in definition. For the purposes of the Visionary Universe canon is any material which has: *Been developed, produced and distributed under the auspices of Visionary Comics Studio *Been developed and/or created under the guidelines of the Visionary Universe Wiki and approved Story-Based Canon Any story produced under the guidance of Visionary Comics Studio as set in the Visionary Universe will, obviously, be considered canon and thus authoritative and binding on continuity. It should be noted that what is canon from such stories are those directly related, observable and revealed facts of events. Content related in backstory from characters, or indirectly or not observed at all are only as factual and canonical as the source of that information. Reference-Based Canon Canon material in the Visionary Universe Wiki falls under different types, each of which is considered canon to varying levels. The following are the major divisions, listed in order of most canonical to least. Actual Story Related Reference Any reference content which is created and based directly and solely on actual Visionary Universe stories, relating only facts of various stories and annotating sources of content when not directly related, will be considered as canonical as the stories themselves, thus binding. Supplementary Related Reference Any reference content which is created under the spirit and guidelines of the wiki, and which is focused on creating supplementary material, or non-story based content focused on existing characters and concepts will be considered canon unless or until directly contradicted in an actual Visionary Universe story. The primary intent of the wiki is to provide anyone who wishes to do so, the opportunity to contribute to the richness and depth of the Visionary Universe by adding to its history, legends and lore. Thus when contributors add original content and do so in the spirit intended, that content is respected and upheld whenever possible. Additional Resources *Canon Policy: An article detailing rules and guidelines regarding canon material and its use and incorporation *Apocrypha and Apocryphal Policy: For detailed articles on the flip-side of Canon *Wikipedia Article on Canon, for a more detailed discussion of the concept itself and its use Category:Admin Category:Content Terms Category:Guidelines Category:Site Information